Examines the popular Comedy Central program from a rhetorical perspective to uncover the way in which Jon Stewart, the cast, and the writers critique mainstream media and politicians.
Introduction -- The Nature of the Beast. The Arete of Amusement: An Aristotelian Perspective on the Ethos of The Daily Show / Jonathan E. Barbur and Trischa Goodnow -- Before and After The Daily Show: Freedom and Consequences in Political Satire / Robert Spicer -- Cramer vs. (Jon Stewart's Characterization of) Cramer: Image Repair Rhetoric, Late Night Political Humor, and The Daily Show / Josh Compton -- Arguments. The (Not-So) Laughable Political Argument: A Close-Textual Analysis of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart / John W. Self -- Models of Democratic Deliberation: Pharmacodynamic Agonism in The Daily Show / Kelly Wilz -- Purifying Laughter: Carnivalesque Self-Parody as Argument Scheme in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart / Aaron Hess -- The Voice of the People: Jon Stewart, Vernacular Argument and Political Satire / Ryan McGeough -- Strategies. We Frame to Please: A Preliminary Examination of The Daily Show's Use of Framing / Penina Wiesman -- Breaking News: A Postmodern Rhetorical Analysis of The Daily Show / Aaron Hess -- Visual Aspects of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart / Lawrence J. Mullen -- Issues. Gaywatch: A Burkean Frame Analysis of The Daily Show's Treatment of Queer Topics / C. Wesley Buerkle -- A Modern Hebrew Prophet?: Jon Stewart and Religious Satire / Brian T. Kaylor -- The Daily Show and Barack Obama's Comic Critique of Whiteness: An Intersection of Popular and Political Rhetoric / Stephanie M. Purtle & Timothy Steffensmeier.